Latitude: 58° north
Weather: -12, heavy snow ☃️ Sunrise: 08:54 Sunset: 15:48
Leaving Tallinn, a blizzard deepened into proper perfect snowflakes, heavy by the side of the train. White sky, a veil of falling snow, deep white fields – and a smudge of trees to break up the white out.
As we traveled into the Estonian countryside, the trackside snow thickened. Back to forests, smaller here than in Finland, broken by villages and open fields. Everything was white – spruce trees once again heavy with snow, the white sky blending into the snowy fields, horizon washed away by the blur of falling snow. I popped Arvo Pärt into my ears to escape a noisy, packed train, our busiest yet. His mysterious, minimalist music fitted perfectly with a white, white world outside.
Arriving into Tartu felt like stepping into a different world from Tallinn. Gone was the icy slush, replaced by deep, powdery snow. Gone were the illuminated signs and busy streets, replaced by silent tree-lined avenues. Gone were the crowds; as we walked away from the station, we were the only people out on the street.
Our walk to our studio for the night took us past ornate, colourful wooden houses, down a steep wooded hill and through the middle of a hilly park. Trees were highlighted with a thick coating of snow. Iron lampposts contrasted against the perfect white ground. In a steep bowl in the middle of the park, children were spending their Saturday morning sledging.
By the time we arrived into the centre of town, pastel buildings and snow-topped roofs seen through a gently falling snow shower, I was head over heels in love with Tartu.
Out to explore. Imagine the perfect town square in winter. You’ll need an ornate town hall, some great cafes, warm sparkly lighting, maybe a giant Christmas tree. Tick, tick, tick – and a big tick for the tree. Oh – and could we add in an ice rink? Yep, Tartu has one of those too, right in front of the town hall. In its centre, Tartu’s famous statue of two students kissing. Absolute perfection.
Tartu is Estonia’s second city, and often said to be both Estonia’s intellectual heart and its cultural soul. It’s a university city – one in five residents are students at the prestigious university which dates from the 1600s – and a glorious blend of the old, the grand, the quirky and the modern. Tartu is the oldest city in the Baltic states and has changed hands and rulers so many times in its history. It’s also had a whole raft of different names (Tarbatu, Dorpat, Dorpt , Derpt and Yuryev). Due to the number of times the city has been destroyed, most buildings date from the end of the 18th century onwards. Classical and neoclassical buildings in a range of beautiful pastel colours, wooden houses, hyper-modern university buildings in glass and steel – and lots of sculptures and public art.
And everywhere – parks. Lining both sides of the river, joined by a funky modern bridge, are lovely tree-lined avenues. Behind the town hall, a steep hill leads up to the university observatory. A botanical garden, the castle hill, sports fields and recreation areas – in summer this must be a very green city. Right now, it’s very, very white!
I got a strong sense in Tartu of a city being tended to and kept open and running. Mini snow ploughs worked up and down the pedestrianised streets constantly. Fleets of larger ploughs worked in synchronised groups to clear the roads. Residents were out clearing pavements in front of their houses. A well-oiled machine.
Tartu felt like a small slice of winter heaven. We walked into town in heavy snow, falling softly and beautifully, not a breath of wind to whip it into something harsher. We found a gorgeous, welcoming cafe serving great coffee and possibly the best omelette of my life. People smile and seem pleased to see each other here – every place we went into had a warm welcome and an open smile to greet us. There’s also a real sense of style despite the snow – for the first time on this trip, I felt very aware of my stompy boots and hat-wrecked hair.
We walked and walked. I was full of child-like joy at finding such gorgeous snow again, jumping in snowdrifts and leaving footprints in untouched white. Completely unexpected, and all the more wonderful for it. When we returned to the main square, the town hall was lit by thousands of tiny lights and strings of fairy lights criss-crossed the square. I’m honestly all out of superlatives to describe how much I love this gorgeous little city.
Tartu’s nightlife was buzzing, so we joined in for drinks in a small wine bar while we poured over maps of Europe to try to decide where was next. (Like all great plans, at the time of writing we’ve changed it three times since …). We managed to bag a coveted table in tapas bar Parallel for 10pm, where we feasted on spicy devilled eggs and delicious pork chops by candlelight, a happy buzz of conversation filling the small cellar restaurant. Our waiter was working his first evening there and couldn’t have been more friendly and kind to two non-Estonian speakers. My Estonian now stretches to ‘hello’, ‘thank you’ and ‘gluten free’, which wouldn’t get me very far without the kindness and fabulous English of locals.
When we went out the next morning, Tartu was shrugging off its hangover, a few people still staggering home at 9am. This city parties hard on a Saturday night! We went back into Cafe Krempel, where we were greeted like old friends and enjoyed a perfect morning coffee.
The original plan was to walk to the ruined cathedral – but the pull of the ice rink was too strong, so in a moment of weakness we hired skates and picked our way onto the ice. Let’s just say that no medals were won for elegance. Tim found his feet and was soon making his way around quite confidently. I found the adult equivalent of the penguins they give to kids on the ice in the UK, and resolutely clung to it for 30 minutes. Much fun was had and I probably provided some entertainment for the local skaters along the way.
We just had time to walk up the hill to the observatory, with its gorgeous views back down onto the town hall and ice rink, filling up now with families out for some Sunday morning fun. More beautiful snowy paths among the trees and a lovely way to round off the morning.
And then it was time to pick up the rucksacks and head to the station, stopping briefly for a final, excellent coffee in Aegean. Part coffee shop, part second-hand clothes store, part wine bar. Slogan: come for coffee, stay for wine, leave in style. Great coffee, excellent macarons and another warm smiley welcome to finish our time in Tartu.
The joy of a second city, real and authentic after the theme park beauty of Tallinn. Warm, welcoming, alive and lovely. Beautiful outdoor spaces and a wealth of buzzing bars and restaurants. So many museums and galleries (next time maybe). People who smile in the street and chat in cafes. Heaven.
If ever there is a chance to come back to Tartu, I’ll grab it in a heartbeat.
